It’s been some time. Let’s do a real demo.
I’ll be on the midway. I’ll have a tent.
The point is that all of this does not require internet. You can still benefit from internet, like to call regular phones, or use other email, but internet is not required for the cell network to be useful. The network is the point.
eNB
The main attraction will be a band 40 picocell
I’ll have some CBRS Nova227s for show and tell, but not powered on, since I don’t want to deal with SAS. I might also have a 3MHz Band 8 SDR eNB if I can get anything to attach to it. To be determined. I might also have some 5G equipment working, if I can get TDD gNB working. I might also have an eMBMS demo, if I can get anything working via Android and the SDR eNB/gNBs before hand.
UE
An iphone 7, iphone 12 mini, pixel 6, W6 Pro, Moto G Stylus, all making and receiving phone calls, sending and receiving texts.
There will also be a Sonim XP8, and if I can get it to register on IMS it might also join for calls and texts.
I may also have some data UE, such as an LTE router, and a laptop modem.
All devices can use the network’s own services — no internet required.
Working now: phone calls and texts (including SMS group chats on a shared channel), email, group voice rooms, file sharing, a live user directory (see who’s on, tap to call or text), single sign-on across all of it, an on-net app store (F-Droid), a wiki and a task board, a speedtest, and a live network dashboard. There’s also an APRS bridge — text the network and it goes out over the air, and APRS traffic comes back the other way.
New and still experimental (I’ll demo whatever’s up by then): video calling over VoLTE — it just came up on the Sonim — plus a shared map and ATAK.
yes, that whole “working now” list actually works.
I might also have some eSIMs and physical sims to let you try it out yourself, on your actual phone.
More, if time allows
- Group conference calls
- more? I have a huge list, I’m only limited by time, I’ve got the imagination in spades
Instruments
- Spectrum analyzer
- My
cellwatchprogram with an SDR doing live decodes of traffic, including showing the callsigns involved - Live network dashboard